Beet and Beet Greens Fritters

Whenever I find fresh beets with their greens, I immediately grab a bunch. Most often, I use the beets and the greens in separate recipes, but this time, however, I decided to use both in the same dish, and came up with the fritters you see here.
To form the mixture for the fritters, I mixed lightly steamed chopped beet greens with peeled, roughly grated and lightly steamed beets. To bind them into a mixture that would hold while frying, I added eggs, rolled oats, flour and breadcrumbs to the bowl.
Since I wanted the unique sweetish beet flavor to shine, I seasoned the mixture with only salt and ground four peppers mix, and avoided any other spices or flavorings.
The fritters came out as I was hoping for: very tasty, with an intense beet flavor, firm texture and beautiful dark red color.
I served the fritters as a light lunch, with a dollop of sour cream and green salad on the side, but they can be served as a tasty snack any time of the day. Another option is to use them as a vegetarian burger substitute, in a burger bun. Try them and enjoy.

Notes:
* I’ve used very fresh young beets, that require short steaming time. Bigger/older ones are less suitable for this dish, but if you still want to use them, adjust the steaming time accordingly.
* If you can’t find beets with greens, substitute with chopped Swiss chard.
* For more recipes with beets and beet greens, check HERE.

Makes: 12
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
3 medium size fresh young beets, greens attached (see notes)
2 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground four peppers mix
2 L eggs
1/3 cup rolled oats
¼ cup flour
¼ cup breadcrumbs
Oil for frying
Sour cream for serving (optional

1. Cut off the greens from the beets, wash thoroughly and chop them roughly. Add a bit of water and salt, and steam in a covered pot, or microwave, for 2 minutes. Set aside.

2. Peel the beets and roughly grate them (I used food processor). Add a bit of water and salt, and steam in a covered pot, or microwave, for 3-4 minutes. (Do not overcook – you want them firm). Transfer to a large bowl, along with the greens.

3. Add the salt, pepper, eggs, oats, flour and breadcrumbs. Mix well and let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature. Mix again before using.

4. Preheat oil for shallow frying in a large pan, over medium-high heat. Measure ¼ cup of the mixture into the hot oil, and flatten lightly with the back of a spoon. Fry until golden-brown on both sides. Serve warm.